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How exactly does music have the ability to positively affect the mind? It is a question that is rarely contemplated. The beneficial influences that harmonies, instruments, and other musical forms possess on the mind are not widely acknowledged. Few have the capability to comprehend the importance of a simple rhythm and what it can accomplish. The emotional state, concentration, and memory are just a few of the many aspects of the mind that can be effectively altered by music.
" Without high levels of serotonin, creativity, contentment, and the over well-being of a person immensely declines.
As well as affecting the state of mind, music has an immense impact on concentration. Soothing tones have the competence to relieve stress and increase one's attention span. The power to perform more effectively becomes much more accessible and creates a preferable environment.
Without difficulty, concentration can be regained and enhanced with just a few minutes of listening to music. In addition to strengthening the attention span, it will furthermore stimulate learning.
659 words - 3 pages chemical reactions happen inside a human. Works Cited Dean, Jeremy. "10 Magical Effects Music Has On The Mind". PsyBlog.com. 18 September 2013. Web. 7 January 2014. Landau, Elizabeth. "This is your brain on music". CNN.com 15 April 2013. Web. 7 January 2014. Sacks, Oliver. "The power of music". Oxfordjournals.com. Guarantor of Brain. 2006. Web.
Does Music Have Positive Effects On The Mind?


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A Brief Travel Guide – Formula 1 in Europe | Prepaid365
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Tags: Euro Prepaid Card, formula 1, German Grand Prix, Hungarian Grand Prix, prepaid travel cards, travel
Once the British Grand Prix is completed at the start of July, Formula 1 shifts its focus to European shores, visiting Germany and then Hungary.
Both circuits have been known to throw up surprises in the past, although Mercedes pairing Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to cement their positions at the top of the leaderboard.
Ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the pair has won seven of eight races between them – with Hamilton claiming glory on four occasions.
However, it was Rosberg that was victorious last time out in Austria, leaving the German 29 points ahead of his teammate in the driver standings.
The Constructors Championship is already virtually won, as Mercedes have accumulated more than twice the number of points of nearest rivals Red Bull Racing to date.
The Germany Grand Prix on July 20 will take place in Hockenheim at the Hockenheimring, which weaves its way through the forest in the Rhine Valley.
The circuit, alongside the Nurburgring, hosts the German GP on a biannual basis, with German Sebastian Vettel topping the podium last time out.
A mix of long straights and sharp turns pose a challenge for drivers, meaning top quality racing is possible for all of the 120,000 or so fans that can pack the stands on race day.
Vettel and his compatriot Michael Schumacher have both experienced success in Hockenheim, providing plenty to shout about for the local population.
For fans visiting Hockenheim, a motorsport museum is not far from the circuit while the town itself – a settlement since Roman times – is steeped in history and architecture.
Just a week after the completion of the German Grand Prix and attention will turn to Hungary as the drivers pit their wits against the Hungaroring.
The narrow, twisty circuit in Mogyorod, near Budapest, was the first to be opened behind the Iron Curtain in the mid-1980s and has hosted regular GP racing since.
Hamilton claimed victory in Hungary last year to go equal with Schumacher with four wins apiece at the track, although the Brit will fancy his chances of taking the record for himself this time around.
Intriguingly, six of the last eight races in Hungary have been won by British drivers, with Jenson Button winning twice to go alongside Hamilton's impressive tally of triumphs.
Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill also tasted victory at the Hungaroring during their time in racing, making the circuit a popular one for British drivers and fans alike.
Mogyorod is roughly 18km from Budapest, meaning fans can easily travel to the ancient city on the banks of the Danube if they so wish.
Funding a trip to Germany or Hungary
For any racing fans keen to see a British winner, financing a trip to the Grand Prix will require some careful consideration.
The pound is currently very strong against the Euro, but managing finances while abroad remains important – which is why a prepaid travel card could be considered.
Travelling with a prepaid travel card can provide money to spend without the need to carry lots of travellers' cheques or foreign currency.
With a prepaid card you can only spend the amount which is on it at any given time, making budget management possible, although it can be topped up if you so wish.
Additional security exists on these cards, while the exchange rate seen will be the one when the original transaction took place – providing protection should the exchange rate vary dramatically during a trip.
A Brief Travel Guide – Formula 1 in Europe was last modified: July 29th, 2014 by Prepaid365
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you have 100's SQL Servers, some legacy applications, running on older versions and no cloud subscription? Then the path is to cloud very different from a single click. We focus on the key steps needed for a cloud SQL data migration.


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*You would compromise the use of the optgroup

Conclusion:
Just don't use optgroups if you don't want them...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT IS THE HOTTEST THING GOING
Posted on November 19, 2020 April 1, 2021 by Angie
My husband is an incredibly talented mixed media artist. A humble one, too, so I have insisted on taking the reins of the latest Chessay to brag about his inclusion in an excellent article published in Canada's top national paper, the Globe & Mail. The item is about the recent popularity of the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit, starring Anya Taylor Joy. The show has taken the world by storm, and it's so exciting to watch people discover the game of chess. I mean, I know it's sexy, but now everyone does! Also included in the piece is Chuck Grau, who knows a thing or two about the game. 🙂
Johanna Schneller, the author of the article, is one of the country's most respected journalists. If you aren't already familiar with her, I encourage you to check out her work!
You can find the original article here.
Netflix's The Queen's Gambit thrills chess purists with remarkable attention to detail
JOHANNA SCHNELLER
Marcin Dorocinski as Vasily Borgov, left, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon in The Queen's Gambit.
The team behind The Queen's Gambit, now a runaway hit on Netflix, knew their heroine, Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), would be a sensation in any sphere – an abused orphan turned pill-popping genius, beautiful, brilliant, mercurial. But Beth is a chess prodigy, and not only are chess fans notoriously fervid and finicky, the game itself offers 300 billion options – 300 billion ways to get it wrong.
"We knew if chess fans hated it, that would kill it in the crib," William Horberg, the series' producer, said Wednesday in a Zoom interview. "But if they blessed the show as authentic – the game they love – then we could relax."
So the very first meeting that Horberg and his writer/director, Scott Frank (Godless), took was with Bruce Pandolfini, the legendary chess coach. Horberg had worked with Pandolfini on another chess film he'd produced, 1993′s Searching for Bobby Fischer (Ben Kingsley played Pandolfini). He knew Pandolfini "was great at designing games and getting actors with limited experience to look like chess players on camera," he says. But at that lunch, Horberg learned something he hadn't known: Pandolfini had also advised Walter Tevis for Tevis's 1983 novel, The Queen's Gambit – the series' source material. In fact, Pandolfini had come up with the title.
Pandolfini brought on board Garry Kasparov, the world-renowned chess champion, whose heyday coincided with Harmon's fictional one, 1958 through 1968. "He had so many insights that went beyond chess – being a child prodigy, having a gift that makes you an outsider among your peers," Horberg says. "Also, because he played in the Soviet Union, he knew about things like KGB agents at tournaments."
Early in the production, Frank held a two-day chess summit in Germany, where most of the shoot took place. 'It was all hands on deck – costume, production design, camera, the chess experts, the editor," Horberg says. "The art department created mock-ups of everything, and we went through the games, thousands of little choices: which pieces, boards, clocks, tables. Where the camera should be, what are the moves we need to show, the moments where the power dynamic pivots.
"We came out of it like a military operation, we had maps and handouts for maybe 200 games," Horberg continues. "Anya had to memorize all the moves. We didn't use a hand double. It was as if we gave her a violin and said, 'Go play with that orchestra.'"
Before the seven-episode series arrived on October 23, the chess world was alert to it, says Alan Power, owner of the Chess Schach, where he sells vintage chess sets that he's artistically refurbished. (Chess-pun lover alert: Schach, pronounced shack, is the German term for chess.) But they'd been disappointed before. From James Bond to Pretty Woman to Ted Lasso, film and television have used chess as shorthand for brainy sophistication. But too often, projects don't even bother to orient the board properly (a white square in the lower right corner).
The Queen's Gambit gets it right. "The chess world exploded," Power says. "Harmon felt so real, people were Googling to see if she existed. Everyone is still going mad about it. I haven't heard one bad thing,"
Chuck Grau, a New Hampshire attorney who administers three Facebook groups for chess collectors (including Shakhamatnyye Kollektsionery, devoted to Soviet chessmen), played in rated tournaments during Harmon's era. "Watching her walk into that Cincinnati hotel, I felt overwhelming déjà vu," he told me by phone. "The lobby, the ballroom, the atmosphere – it was exactly the way it was when I played in Milwaukee in the 60s. And the plastic Club sets Beth uses, which were knock-offs of a French set, Lardy – competitive chess was flooded with those plastic pieces back then. I was blown away."
Online chess communities, which were already thriving in the COVID-19 pandemic, surged even more. Chess.com, the most popular site (when I checked at 1:45 PM on Tuesday, 7,206,725 games had already been played that day), is adding 100,000 new members daily, up from 20,000 last year. "Netflix told us chess board sales are up 300 per cent," Horberg says. Women's chess champions Judit Polgar, Jennifer Shahade and Jovanka Huska have praised the series' accuracy. Lists like "Beth's Best Moves" are popping up. Instructor Jeremy Kanes created an online course, "Play Like Beth Harmon."Many of Harmon's games are famously brilliant ones from history, and chess forums lit up with screen-grabs and computer simulations to determine which was which. The game where she defeats Harry to win the Kentucky State championship? That's from Riga, Latvia, in 1955. When she beats Benny at speed chess? Paul Morphy, Paris Opera, 1858. Her game against Borgov, where she finally plays the queen's gambit? Biel, Switzerland, 1993. (That title move, in which White offers a wing pawn in exchange for better control of the centre, is one of chess's oldest openings, dating back to 1490. It's a good metaphor for Harmon, because it's as aggressive as she is; White puts constant pressure on Black to respond to threats rather than create them.)
For a game that moves 32 little statues over a square board, chess is unexpectedly cinematic. The Queen's Gambit employs special effects – Librium-induced hallucinations hanging upside-down from Harmon's ceiling – to illustrate how many moves she can see ahead. Searching for Bobby Fischer and 2014′s Pawn Sacrifice – the true story of Bobby Fischer's (Tobey Maguire) matches against Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber) – also use CGI and soundtrack swooshes to create the magic of prodigies who can see things that are there but not there. Mainly, chess thrives on screen because it offers something no other sports film can: long, still close-ups. Character is revealed in the flicker of an eye. Even if you don't understand the game, you feel the tension. Chess is cinema at its essence – two humans, face to face.
Which is why no one in the chess world much minds the one detail The Queen's Gambit got wrong. In Harmon's final game, set in Russia in 1968, the distinctive "Latvian" set she uses, with its slender king and queen sporting coloured finials, is from the 1990s. "But that set hasn't changed much in 50 years," Power concedes, "so they probably felt they could get away with it."
This entry was posted in Chess Set. Bookmark the permalink.
AMBROID ALERT!
A BF-II … WITH A TWIST, PLEASE!
One thought on "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT IS THE HOTTEST THING GOING"
Sean Brady says:
Good article but there was one glaring mistake:
"Pandolfini brought on board Garry Kasparov, the world-renowned chess champion, whose heyday coincided with Harmon's fictional one, 1958 through 1968."


We aim to ensure firm but fair discipline with dignity. We believe that positive discipline and encouragement can often yield better results than punishment. Children have rights, but also responsibilities. If they do not act responsibly and respect the rights of others, the consequences will be disciplinary action. Please discuss this with your children.


The Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment Research Centre; Hungarian Office for Health Technology Assessment (HunHTA) is embedded in the Department of Public Policy and Management at Corvinus University of Budapest. The predecessor of the Research Centre, as a Working Unit was established in 1998 and it has worked in its present form since 1. March 2007. The Research Centre pursues an educational, a research and a consultation activity. Education: The Research Centre at Corvinus University of Budapest is responsible for providing courses for Bsc and Msc students as follows: Health Policy and Financing, Health Economics, Health Technology Assessment and Pharmaco-economics, Quality Improvement and Management, each with classes of 80 minutes twice a week ( 4 credits) . Students from other schools as well as anybody interested in this area may attend. Training: The Research Centre offers a wide range of customised training options. Personalized and specialized training is based on claims of governmental institutions and different private companies. On the basis of a preliminary survey and an analysis of needs and objectives, the training aims at the field of health economics, pharmaco-economics, technology assessment and evidence based medicine and the epidemiology. We are experienced in courses both in English and Hungarian language as well. The content and the topics of the trainings depend on our partner's need. Research: The Research Centre regularly takes part in international research programmes financed by the European Commission.


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September 09, 2012 (Updated: September 09, 2012)
Review by mthaslett — March 17, 2011 @ 2:29 am
I've been waiting for this! The thing is: I was a Star Wars kid. I was there for the first release of the OT. I was crazy about the stories, the characters, their galaxy– I got as many toys, comics, posters and magazines as I could about Star Wars and its incredible sequel "Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back". Then the third movie came out… and I went to it… and I came out… so confused.
I couldn't put it in words, I didn't hate it, but the effect was that I never bought another Star Wars comic, toy, or poster again unless it was about the other two movies. I came to realize "Return of the Jedi" was a giant let-down.
The reasons it fails are numerous. First, it's all a giant hand-holding romp; just a victory lap without ever building any real stakes. Second, it is totally disjointed as a story. It tries to give moments to all the characters without doing justice to any. Third, The Jabba rescue was totally inane. Forth, The Ewoks are overdone and (embarrassing) they save our heroes asses. Fifth, Everything Han does turns out wrong. Etc. Luke finished the last movie as a total punk with a few days training and a missing hand– but now suddenly he needs no more training? Suddenly Vader now worries about how it's too late for him? None of this was keeping with the Empire Strikes Back. Empire was brutal. Jedi is a musical. They just don't match.
Ah, but in comes SpencEdit and his Final Cut.
This fan edit has answers to all these problems and more. There is so much concern here for trying to make ROTJ fit the original Two-logy and, I am happy to report, it revives a dead film. The RETURN OF THE JEDI, um, Returns!
Spence's strategy is simple: This edit removes the giant narrative dog-leg from the middle of the film which has Luke run off to Degobah for an exposition dump. Instead, as would more naturally follow the ass-whipping he received in Empire, the first thing Luke Skywalker does is go to Degobah for more training. So not only is this Luke more consistent with who he was, but the viewer of this story gets to identify with Luke right away as he hears he must face Vader and discover who "the other Skywalker" is. This turns the rescue on Tatooine into a test for the newly trained Jedi; it allows the mission to Endor to naturally flow out of getting the heroes back together; and it makes all the gravity between Luke and Vader feel organic. To support these grand ideas, this edit also tackles the pace of every sequence to remove as much cushion as possible. Now, when people get shot on Endor, it really hurts. Capping it all off strategically is a giant idea that I don't want to spoil– but let's just say destroying the Death Star won't necessarily get the Rebels everything they want now. Now the personal Luke story has more stakes than ever.
Execution is first rate. The best example for me is the scene I've always hated between Han and Lando, where Han makes Lando take the Millenium Falcon. This has always felt and looked fake to me. But Spence does something brilliant, he follows it up by letting Han's last look at the Falcon from inside the Imperial Shuttle go as a silent observation– no one but the audience gets to notice how he feels. It makes the whole thing authentic and beautiful; character driven and smart. That's a good metaphor for the effect of this entire edit. All the characters feel more on target, stripped of their schtick and yet still given their chance to shine (the new intro of Chewie is especially effective). And not enough can be said about how this has become a fitting finish of the Luke Skywalker story (not to mention a few effective musical choices that make this a fitting finish to the Anakin Skywalker story as well– this truly completes the Saga). The final twenty minutes of this thing is perfect. I never knew this was what the footage held– it's so much more effective and exciting.
There are only a couple things that I can take issue with– first, the way Spence chose to edit two tiny scenes jarred me a little and second there seemed to be a mix issue where the music felt muffled and then jumped up a level. I'm not technical enough to describe exactly what was wrong, but let me say that neither is enough to worry about. Download and watch this if you have any interest in a BETTER version of RETURN OF THE JEDI.
It's almost exactly the movie I wish I'd gotten when I waited in line all those years ago. This would have kept me buying toys and comic books. Very impressed. Very happy.
Merry Christmas to us all!
mthaslett Top 1000 Reviewer 2 reviews


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People are complicated, understanding them doesn't have to be.
PRO-D is the best tool to deepen your understanding of a person, more quickly and more accurately than anything else.
The best leaders are self-aware. PRO-D heightens self-awareness and gives you a vocabulary to be able to clearly articulate who you are. If you are frustrated at work, looking for a career change or just want to grow as a person, PRO-D acts as a catalyst for change. While most other assessments have no long term impact, PRO-D is an assessment focused on empowering you to take action.
PRO-Development is based on the premise that everyone is unique.
Gaining an understanding of how people operate and where you fit into that spectrum, enables you to be a better team member and a better leader.
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The PRO-D framework is built on nine Career Value Archetypes that provide the foundation for understanding how people are wired. Once you grasp these nine Career Values, you begin to understand why people see the world differently than you do. PRO-D enables you to understand other's differences and view them as strengths.
"PRO-D examines a person's missions, competencies and styles in a way no other assessment does and the results are always surprising. After taking mine, my coach showed me that I had competency (in other words, an ability) in public speaking. I have since gone on to develop and use this skill in my career.
"I provide marriage counseling and coaching primarily to leaders. Every couple now takes PRO-D, and every couple has gained tremendous insight into how to increase intimacy, grace, and gratitude."


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Joyous Life is the English gloss for "yoki-gurashi 陽気ぐらし," which refers to an ideal existence where all of humanity respects one another and lives in harmony as brothers and sisters (i.e., God's children) and is what the Tenrikyo teachings maintains as the reason why God the Parent created humankind. According to Tenrikyo teachings, God became revealed on 10/26/1838 (lunar calendar) to teach the path that fulfills the divine purpose for human existence.
1 Analysis of the word "yoki-gurashi"
2 Definition of "Joyous Life"
Analysis of the word "yoki-gurashi"
ki 気: "spirit, mind, heart; intention; mood; temperament."
The resulting combined term, yoki, can be translated in a variety of ways, including "joviality" and "mirth."
In the new religions whether ki is yoki or inki depends upon how it is cultivated. When it is cultivated well, it will be bright, ascendant, radiant, and powerful: yoki. When poorly cultivated, ki is inki, dark, sinking, dull, and weak.
The current and fourth Shinbashira, Zenji Nakayama, has described yoki as: "referring to a state of feeling bright and cheerful as well as a quality that energizes and vitalizes all things" and that it "may be seen as indicating a sense of feeling bright and cheerful, spirited and full of energy."
The convention in Tenrikyo is to write "gurashi" in hiragana, i.e., ぐらし, and not in kanji (暮らし). "Gurashi" or "kurashi" generally means "(daily) living, life."
"It is my understanding that the expression 'building of the world of the Joyous Life' was once described, at one time not too long ago, as the 'building of the Kanrodai world'.... In my opinion, or from the standpoint of Tenrikyo faith, I would like to declare that the attainment of the Joyous Life comes about by replacing one's own mind. The replacement of one's mind results in the automatic rebuilding of the world since this affects how the world is reflected in one's mind. When reading the Ofudesaki or even other documents that happen to be the basis for various teachings I plan to discuss later, they all repeatedly present the point of replacing mind and the sweeping of the heart. These actions, as of themselves, allow for the world to be reflected joyously [in the mind]. Joyous phenomena occur when the world becomes filled with such minds, that is, when the rebuilding of the world takes place."
"[T]he stories of Oyasama concerning the Kanrodai world are different from the usual stories from heaven and hell. They are stories of an extremely realistic nature, concerning a world of yokigurashi which would appeal even to the masses. We can understand that they indicate a fundamental direction for academic studies, politics and economics, and that these stories should be a guide in our efforts to establish the Kanrodai world.
"The ideals of God the Parent must be realized in human history. Thus, we must be fully concerned with the problems of our society and country, and attempts to escape from this duty cannot be permitted."
However, it may be argued that a middle path that equally takes the two above perspectives consideration may represent Tenrikyo's ideal.
"Yoki-gurashi" only appears in the Osashizu in five instances in four separate passages and does not appear in the Ofudesaki or the Mikagura-uta.
However, similar terms found in the Scriptures include "yoki-zukume" (usually translated as "joyousness") and "yoki-yusan" (translated "joyous life" in lower case in the English Ofudesaki or "joyous play" elsewhere). It is presumed that "yoki-gurashi" became the catchphrase over terms such as "yoki-zukume" (appears 19 times in Ofudesaki, once in the Mikagura-uta) and "yoki-yusan" (appearing prominently in Ofudesaki 14:025) because of the obscure nature of the former term and the latter term sounding somewhat frivolous. Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen in Japan, warned his followers not to indulge in "yusan gansui" (treating the Zen teachings as a type of sightseeing or leisurely activity) in his writings.
諸井慶徳 Moroi Yoshinori. 「陽気ぐらし論」 "Yoki-gurashi ron." In 『諸井慶徳著作集』 Moroi Yoshinori chosaku shu, vol. 2, pp. 255–395.
The Doctrine of Tenrikyo, pp. 73–7.
Fukaya, Yoshikazu. "Joyous Life." Words of the Path, pp. 21–2.
Nakayama, Shozen. My Hopes for the Young, pp. 101; 125.
Nakayama, Zenye. Growing Spiritually Day by Day, pp. 3–6.
Yoboku's Guide to Tenrikyo, pp. 127–35.
"Yoki." 『改訂天理教事典』 Kaitei Tenrikyo jiten, edited by Tenri Daigaku Oyasato Kenkyusho. Tenri: Tenrikyo Doyusha, pp. 926–8. For hardcopy English equivalent, see A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms, pp. 172–6.
"Yōki-gurashi." Kaitei Tenrikyo jiten, pp. 928–9. For hardcopy English equivalent, see A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms, pp. 179–81.
"Yōki-yusan." Kaitei Tenrikyo jiten, p. 930. For hardcopy English equivalent, see A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms, p. 181.
↑ The Doctrine of Tenrikyo (tenth edition). Tenrikyo Church Headquarters, p. 20.
↑ Spahn, Mark and Hadamitzky, Wolfgang. Japanese Character Dictionary. Tokyo: Nichigai Associates, p. 261.
↑ Spahn and Hadamitzky, p. 94.
↑ Entry for 陽気 at ALC.co.jp.
↑ Hardacre, Helen. Kurozumikyō and the New Religions of Japan, p. 20. Princeton University Press.
↑ Sermon at the Autumn Grand Service, October 26, 2004, in Sermons and Addresses by the Shinbashira 1996–2005, p. 271.
↑ Spahn and Hadamitzky, p. 794.
↑ 中山正善 Nakayama Shozen. 『おふでさき概説』 Ofudesaki gaisetsu, pp. 124–5.
↑ Fukaya, Tadamasa. A Commentary on the Mikagura-uta, The Songs for the Tsutome, pp. 28–9.
↑ 『おさしづ索引』 Osashizu sakuin (index) vol. 3, p. 714/2684. The Osashizu passages that contain "yoki-gurashi" are: Osashizu 1893-02-26, Osashizu 1895-05-28 am, Osashizu 1895-05-31-22, and Osashizu 1907-04-02-08.
↑ Ofudesaki sakuin, p. 227.
This page was last modified on 18 August 2015, at 03:10.


text:
Author`s name Dmitry Sudakov
2000-2010: Ten Years That Changed the World
World » Europe
On 9/11, 2,974 people died as a result of terrorist acts in New York and Washington. The US government accused al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden of the attacks.
Americans invaded Afghanistan and Iran, overthrew Saddam Hussein and failed to find Osama bin Laden. Explosions occurred in Madrid, London, Mumbai, and Riyadh. Passenger transportation rules and customs control became more rigorous. The USA created the National Security Agency; governments introduce restrictions of rights and freedoms of their citizens.
Economic Crisis
It began with the collapse of the US mortgage system. By September 2008, the crisis spread all over the world. Within the last year, thousands of companies declared bankruptcy, unemployment reached unprecedented levels, and the number of suicides linked to unemployment and collapsed businesses has greatly increased.
Most of the countries are saving their economies using their money. The world crisis-related spending exceeded 11 trillion dollars. Russia spent 480 billion dollars to fight off the crisis. So far China is the only country whose GDP is experiencing a steady growth.
In 2002–2003, the human race was frightened with SARS (8,437 infected, 813 dead), in 2003–2008 bird flu was the main scare (361 infected, 227 dead), and since April 2009 the world has been struggling with swine flu epidemic (over 250,000 infected, 11,500 dead).
Pharmaceutical companies have greatly benefited from the epidemic. Seven billion Euro worth of medication was purchased all over the world (in Russia, the creation of a vaccine cost 4 billion dollars). Sales of anti-virus medication Tummy Flu have increased more than four-fold up to 2.6 billion dollars.
On November 4, 2008, for the first time in the US history, a black Senator Barack Obama was elected the president of the United States. His slogan "Yes We Can" became a symbol of hope for Americans. Yet, the healthcare reform initiated by the new President attracted a great deal of criticism.
He promised to withdraw the troops from Iraq in 2010 and sent more troops to Afghanistan. He reset the relations with Russian and Islamic world. He shut down Guantanamo prison. He considered the Nobel Price he received this year an advance.
Potter-mania
In 2001, after the first screening of the novel about a boy-wizard Harry Potter written by an English housewife J. K. Rowling, the world plunged into Potter-mania. Books and movies about the adventures of the young wizard are read and watched by both children and adults.
Since 2004, J. K. Rowling remains the richest woman in Britain whose wealth is estimated at 545 million pounds (400 million books have been sold). The box office of Harry Potter movies (six in total) exceeded 4 trillion dollars, and the Harry Potter brand is estimated at 14.6 trillion dollars.
Mapping of the Human Genome
In 2003, a group of scientists headed by the Nobel Laureate James Watson announced that human genome (sequence of 25,000 nucleotides in chromosomes explaining the structure of human body) has been completely decoded.
The project was commenced in 1990; however, the interpretation of certain parts of the genome is at the initial stage. It is now possible to determine disposition for genetic illnesses. Using the genome information, scientists are hoping to win the battle against cancer and AIDS.
The princess of pop-music is the image of the decade. She is talented, scandalous, sexy and successful. After the 1990s that belonged to Madonna, it is time for "the naughty girl" to shine.
In 1999, her début album "Baby One More Time" received platinum status 15 times, and its title song topped the Billboard. She is the idol of the millennial generation. Millions of her albums have been sold, numerous Britney clones appeared on stage, her name became a brand, and scandals just increased her popularity.
Gazprom Gas Giant
Annual "gas wars" with Ukraine left Gazprom consumers in Europe without gas. Fights with Kiev forced Russia to seek other ways. By the middle of the second decade of this century, with the help of the Nord Stream and South Stream, Nabucco West and Russia will be able to continue power cooperation with the EU without mediators. "Gas wars" caused transition of the Russian gas to market prices for everyone, and Europe began spending more on alternative power.
The decade was marked with the development of mobile devices. In 2000, cell phones were equipped with cameras and MP3-players, in 2002 they were equipped with applications, and since 2003 cell phones are capable of providing access to high speed internet and making video calls.
The iPhone that hit retail stores in 2007 made mobile devices universal. Now they can assist with time management and other numerous functions, which make life much easier.
The search engine is the symbol of the internet technology for the Millennials. By the end of the 2000s, approximately 2/3 of the users in the world used Google for their search needs. Having created the best search engine ever, the company did not stop there.
Its free web applications help people store and download information and use thousands of other services.
Putin was elected the President of Russia twice, in 2000 and 2004. He laid the new foundation for internal and foreign Russian policies. Internally, he enhanced the power vertical, facilitated businesses participation in implementation of government projects and created "sovereign democracy."
With regard to foreign policy, he determined Russia's firm position in relations with the EU and USA, found allies in South America and South East Asia, and aggravated relations with Russia's neighbors, Ukraine, Georgia, and Baltic countries. In 2007, he was named the person of the year by TIME magazine.
The Most Expensive Oil
Since the beginning of the 2000s, oil prices have been growing every year. On July 3, 2008, it was over $140 per barrel. Russia's foreign currency and gold reserves have increased from $13 billion in 1999 to $478 billion by 2008, and people's incomes have increased tenfold. Russia's external debt decreased from $159 billion to $44billion, and the Stabilization Fund had $156 billion in 2008.
A great drop in oil prices caused a reduction in the government funds. The budget deficit in 2010 will exceed 3 trillion rubles.
War against Georgia
From August 8 to August 16 of 2008, Russia conducted a military operation on a foreign territory for the first time since Afghanistan, protecting South Ossetia and Abkhazia. A year later, the EU declared Saakashvili's government the instigator of the war. Russia's relations with Georgia are frozen.
The President of Russia was granted the right to personally make decisions regarding sending Russian troops on foreign territories. Independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is recognized by Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Nauru (Oceania).
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
A co-owner of YUKOS Oil was arrested on October 25, 2003, on charges of fraud and tax evasion. He was sentences to nine years of imprisonment, but later the term was reduced to eight years.
Removal of oligarchs from power has been going on for several years and takes different shapes. Berezovsky is hiding in London, Abramovich is selling Sibneft, and Vekselberg and Usmanov purchase valuable goods abroad and present them to the government.
Beslan Tragedy
On September 1, 2004, in Beslan School No.1 (North Ossetia), a group of militants took 1,128 people hostage, including children, their parents and school employees. They were held hostages for three days . As a result of unplanned combat assault, 334 people died (1% percent of the city population), most of the victims were children.
This was the most cruel terror attack in the history of Russia. After the attack, security was enhanced in all schools, and punishment for terrorism was made more severe.
Living in Debt
Consumer credit became available to everyone. Everything and anything can be purchased with credit, from a cell phone to a country house. In the 1990s, credit was unattainable for the majority of people. In the 2000s, some banks gave loans within 30 minutes, and a passport alone was sufficient to obtain a loan.
With the crisis, those who took loans in foreign currency found themselves at a disadvantage since the foreign currency increased in price. Hence, overdue debts and confiscation of belongings purchased with credit. 26% percent of the population have unpaid credits, and 800 thousand families have mortgages. At the end of the decade, consumer credit and mortgage have virtually died out in Russia.
Russian Tennis Players Are the Best
In 2005, Maria Sharapova became the first world racquet. She won seven of the 17 largest international tournaments, including Wimbledon and US Open. A year later, Svetlana Kuznetsova took the second place in US Open and became the second world racquet.
At the Olympics in Peking, Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva took gold, silver, and bronze. April through November of 2009, Safina was the first world racquet. Two Russians competed against each other in the finals of Roland Garros-2009, Kuznetsova against Safina.
Trud


Eucatastrophe is a neologism coined by Tolkien from Greek ευ- "good" and καταστροφή "destruction".
"I coined the word 'eucatastrophe': the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears (which I argued it is the highest function of fairy-stories to produce). And I was there led to the view that it produces its peculiar effect because it is a sudden glimpse of Truth, your whole nature chained in material cause and effect, the chain of death, feels a sudden relief as if a major limb out of joint had suddenly snapped back. It perceives – if the story has literary 'truth' on the second plane (....) – that this is indeed how things really do work in the Great World for which our nature is made. And I concluded by saying that the Resurrection was the greatest 'eucatastrophe' possible in the greatest Fairy Story – and produces that essential emotion: Christian joy which produces tears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow, because it comes from those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled, as selfishness and altruism are lost in Love."
"But the 'consolation' of fairy-tales has another aspect than the imaginative satisfaction of ancient desires. Far more important is the Consolation of the Happy Ending. Almost I would venture to assert that all complete fairy-stories must have it. At least I would say that Tragedy is the true form of Drama, its highest function; but the opposite is true of Fairy-story. Since we do not appear to possess a word that expresses this opposite — I will call it Eucatastrophe. The eucatastrophic tale is the true form of fairy-tale, and its highest function.
It is the mark of a good fairy-story, of the higher or more complete kind, that however wild its events, however fantastic or terrible the adventures, it can give to child or man that hears it, when the "turn" comes, a catch of the breath, a beat and lifting of the heart, near to (or indeed accompanied by) tears, as keen as that given by any form of literary art, and having a peculiar quality."
This page was last modified on 20 June 2009, at 08:30.
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Project acronym 3DNANOMECH
Project Three-dimensional molecular resolution mapping of soft matter-liquid interfaces
Researcher (PI) Ricardo Garcia
Host Institution (HI) AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Summary Optical, electron and probe microscopes are enabling tools for discoveries and knowledge generation in nanoscale sicence and technology. High resolution –nanoscale or molecular-, noninvasive and label-free imaging of three-dimensional soft matter-liquid interfaces has not been achieved by any microscopy method. Force microscopy (AFM) is considered the second most relevant advance in materials science since 1960. Despite its impressive range of applications, the technique has some key limitations. Force microscopy has not three dimensional depth. What lies above or in the subsurface is not readily characterized. 3DNanoMech proposes to design, build and operate a high speed force-based method for the three-dimensional characterization soft matter-liquid interfaces (3D AFM). The microscope will combine a detection method based on force perturbations, adaptive algorithms, high speed piezo actuators and quantitative-oriented multifrequency approaches. The development of the microscope cannot be separated from its applications: imaging the error-free DNA repair and to understand the relationship existing between the nanomechanical properties and the malignancy of cancer cells. Those problems encompass the different spatial –molecular-nano-mesoscopic- and time –milli to seconds- scales of the instrument. In short, 3DNanoMech aims to image, map and measure with picoNewton, millisecond and angstrom resolution soft matter surfaces and interfaces in liquid. The long-term vision of 3DNanoMech is to replace models or computer animations of bimolecular-liquid interfaces by real time, molecular resolution maps of properties and processes.
Optical, electron and probe microscopes are enabling tools for discoveries and knowledge generation in nanoscale sicence and technology. High resolution –nanoscale or molecular-, noninvasive and label-free imaging of three-dimensional soft matter-liquid interfaces has not been achieved by any microscopy method. Force microscopy (AFM) is considered the second most relevant advance in materials science since 1960. Despite its impressive range of applications, the technique has some key limitations. Force microscopy has not three dimensional depth. What lies above or in the subsurface is not readily characterized. 3DNanoMech proposes to design, build and operate a high speed force-based method for the three-dimensional characterization soft matter-liquid interfaces (3D AFM). The microscope will combine a detection method based on force perturbations, adaptive algorithms, high speed piezo actuators and quantitative-oriented multifrequency approaches. The development of the microscope cannot be separated from its applications: imaging the error-free DNA repair and to understand the relationship existing between the nanomechanical properties and the malignancy of cancer cells. Those problems encompass the different spatial –molecular-nano-mesoscopic- and time –milli to seconds- scales of the instrument. In short, 3DNanoMech aims to image, map and measure with picoNewton, millisecond and angstrom resolution soft matter surfaces and interfaces in liquid. The long-term vision of 3DNanoMech is to replace models or computer animations of bimolecular-liquid interfaces by real time, molecular resolution maps of properties and processes.
Project acronym 3DPROTEINPUZZLES
Project Shape-directed protein assembly design
Researcher (PI) Lars Ingemar ANDRÉ
Host Institution (HI) LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Summary Large protein complexes carry out some of the most complex functions in biology. Such structures are often assembled spontaneously from individual components through the process of self-assembly. If self-assembled protein complexes could be engineered from first principle it would enable a wide range of applications in biomedicine, nanotechnology and materials science. Recently, approaches to rationally design proteins to self-assembly into predefined structures have emerged. The highlight of this work is the design of protein cages that may be engineered into protein containers. However, current approaches for self-assembly design does not result in the assemblies with the required structural complexity to encode many of the sophisticated functions found in nature. To move forward, we have to learn how to engineer protein subunits with more than one designed interface that can assemble into tightly interacting complexes. In this proposal we propose a new protein design paradigm, shape directed protein design, in order to address shortcomings of the current methodology. The proposed method combines geometric shape matching and computational protein design. Using this approach we will de novo design assemblies with a wide variety of structural states, including protein complexes with cyclic and dihedral symmetry as well as icosahedral protein capsids built from novel protein building blocks. To enable these two design challenges we also develop a high-throughput assay to measure assembly stability in vivo that builds on a three-color fluorescent assay. This method will not only facilitate the screening of orders of magnitude more design constructs, but also enable the application of directed evolution to experimentally improve stable and assembly properties of designed containers as well as other designed assemblies.
Large protein complexes carry out some of the most complex functions in biology. Such structures are often assembled spontaneously from individual components through the process of self-assembly. If self-assembled protein complexes could be engineered from first principle it would enable a wide range of applications in biomedicine, nanotechnology and materials science. Recently, approaches to rationally design proteins to self-assembly into predefined structures have emerged. The highlight of this work is the design of protein cages that may be engineered into protein containers. However, current approaches for self-assembly design does not result in the assemblies with the required structural complexity to encode many of the sophisticated functions found in nature. To move forward, we have to learn how to engineer protein subunits with more than one designed interface that can assemble into tightly interacting complexes. In this proposal we propose a new protein design paradigm, shape directed protein design, in order to address shortcomings of the current methodology. The proposed method combines geometric shape matching and computational protein design. Using this approach we will de novo design assemblies with a wide variety of structural states, including protein complexes with cyclic and dihedral symmetry as well as icosahedral protein capsids built from novel protein building blocks. To enable these two design challenges we also develop a high-throughput assay to measure assembly stability in vivo that builds on a three-color fluorescent assay. This method will not only facilitate the screening of orders of magnitude more design constructs, but also enable the application of directed evolution to experimentally improve stable and assembly properties of designed containers as well as other designed assemblies.
Project acronym AMIMOS
Project Agile MIMO Systems for Communications, Biomedicine, and Defense
Researcher (PI) Bjorn Ottersten
Host Institution (HI) KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLAN
Summary This proposal targets the emerging frontier research field of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems along with several innovative and somewhat unconventional applications of such systems. The use of arrays of transmitters and receivers will have a profound impact on future medical imaging/therapy systems, radar systems, and radio communication networks. Multiple transmitters provide a tremendous versatility and allow waveforms to be adapted temporally and spatially to environmental conditions. This is useful for individually tailored illumination of human tissue in biomedical imaging or ultrasound therapy. In radar systems, multiple transmit beams can be formed simultaneously via separate waveform designs allowing accurate target classification. In a wireless communication system, multiple communication signals can be directed to one or more users at the same time on the same frequency carrier. In addition, multiple receivers can be used in the above applications to provide increased detection performance, interference rejection, and improved estimation accuracy. The joint modelling, analysis, and design of these multidimensional transmit and receive schemes form the core of this research proposal. Ultimately, our research aims at developing the fundamental tools that will allow the design of wireless communication systems with an order-of-magnitude higher capacity at a lower cost than today; of ultrasound therapy systems maximizing delivered power while reducing treatment duration and unwanted illumination; and of distributed aperture multi-beam radars allowing more effective target location, identification, and classification. Europe has several successful industries that are active in biomedical imaging/therapy, radar systems, and wireless communications. The future success of these sectors critically depends on the ability to innovate and integrate new technology.
This proposal targets the emerging frontier research field of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems along with several innovative and somewhat unconventional applications of such systems. The use of arrays of transmitters and receivers will have a profound impact on future medical imaging/therapy systems, radar systems, and radio communication networks. Multiple transmitters provide a tremendous versatility and allow waveforms to be adapted temporally and spatially to environmental conditions. This is useful for individually tailored illumination of human tissue in biomedical imaging or ultrasound therapy. In radar systems, multiple transmit beams can be formed simultaneously via separate waveform designs allowing accurate target classification. In a wireless communication system, multiple communication signals can be directed to one or more users at the same time on the same frequency carrier. In addition, multiple receivers can be used in the above applications to provide increased detection performance, interference rejection, and improved estimation accuracy. The joint modelling, analysis, and design of these multidimensional transmit and receive schemes form the core of this research proposal. Ultimately, our research aims at developing the fundamental tools that will allow the design of wireless communication systems with an order-of-magnitude higher capacity at a lower cost than today; of ultrasound therapy systems maximizing delivered power while reducing treatment duration and unwanted illumination; and of distributed aperture multi-beam radars allowing more effective target location, identification, and classification. Europe has several successful industries that are active in biomedical imaging/therapy, radar systems, and wireless communications. The future success of these sectors critically depends on the ability to innovate and integrate new technology.
Project acronym aQUARiUM
Project QUAntum nanophotonics in Rolled-Up Metamaterials
Researcher (PI) Humeyra CAGLAYAN
Host Institution (HI) TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR
Summary Novel sophisticated technologies that exploit the laws of quantum physics form a cornerstone for the future well-being, economic growth and security of Europe. Here photonic devices have gained a prominent position because the absorption, emission, propagation or storage of a photon is a process that can be harnessed at a fundamental level and render more practical ways to use light for such applications. However, the interaction of light with single quantum systems under ambient conditions is typically very weak and difficult to control. Furthermore, there are quantum phenomena occurring in matter at nanometer length scales that are currently not well understood. These deficiencies have a direct and severe impact on creating a bridge between quantum physics and photonic device technologies. aQUARiUM, precisely address the issue of controlling and enhancing the interaction between few photons and rolled-up nanostructures with ability to be deployed in practical applications. With aQUARiUM, we will take epsilon (permittivity)-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials into quantum nanophotonics. To this end, we will integrate quantum emitters with rolled-up waveguides, that act as ENZ metamaterial, to expand and redefine the range of light-matter interactions. We will explore the electromagnetic design freedom enabled by the extended modes of ENZ medium, which "stretches" the effective wavelength inside the structure. Specifically, aQUARiUM is built around the following two objectives: (i) Enhancing light-matter interactions with single emitters (Enhance) independent of emitter position. (ii) Enabling collective excitations in dense emitter ensembles (Collect) coherently connect emitters on nanophotonic devices to obtain coherent emission. aQUARiUM aims to create novel light-sources and long-term entanglement generation and beyond. The envisioned outcome of aQUARiUM is a wholly new photonic platform applicable across a diverse range of areas.
Novel sophisticated technologies that exploit the laws of quantum physics form a cornerstone for the future well-being, economic growth and security of Europe. Here photonic devices have gained a prominent position because the absorption, emission, propagation or storage of a photon is a process that can be harnessed at a fundamental level and render more practical ways to use light for such applications. However, the interaction of light with single quantum systems under ambient conditions is typically very weak and difficult to control. Furthermore, there are quantum phenomena occurring in matter at nanometer length scales that are currently not well understood. These deficiencies have a direct and severe impact on creating a bridge between quantum physics and photonic device technologies. aQUARiUM, precisely address the issue of controlling and enhancing the interaction between few photons and rolled-up nanostructures with ability to be deployed in practical applications. With aQUARiUM, we will take epsilon (permittivity)-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials into quantum nanophotonics. To this end, we will integrate quantum emitters with rolled-up waveguides, that act as ENZ metamaterial, to expand and redefine the range of light-matter interactions. We will explore the electromagnetic design freedom enabled by the extended modes of ENZ medium, which "stretches" the effective wavelength inside the structure. Specifically, aQUARiUM is built around the following two objectives: (i) Enhancing light-matter interactions with single emitters (Enhance) independent of emitter position. (ii) Enabling collective excitations in dense emitter ensembles (Collect) coherently connect emitters on nanophotonic devices to obtain coherent emission. aQUARiUM aims to create novel light-sources and long-term entanglement generation and beyond. The envisioned outcome of aQUARiUM is a wholly new photonic platform applicable across a diverse range of areas.
Project acronym ARTSILK
Project Novel approaches to the generation of artificial spider silk superfibers
Researcher (PI) Anna RISING
Host Institution (HI) KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET
Summary Spider silk is Nature's high performance material that has the potential to revolutionize the materials industry. However, production and spinning of artificial spider silk fibers are challenging, and current methods to produce silk fibers include denaturing conditions which prevent the silk proteins from assembling into fibers in the same complex way as native silk proteins do. In order to fulfill the potential of spider silk we need to increase our understanding of the silk formation process and decipher how protein folding and interactions relate to mechanical properties of the resulting silk fiber. Recent insights into the physiology and molecular mechanisms of the spinning process has made it possible to develop a biomimetic artificial spider silk spinning device (see our publications Andersson et al. Nat Chem Biol. 2017; Otikovs et al. Angew Chemie Int Engl Ed. 2017). We are, for the first time, able to spin artificial silk fibers in which the proteins adopt correct secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures. The overall objective of ARTSILK is to build on these recent technical leaps and use state-of-the-art technologies to generate artificial silk fibers that are equal or superior to native spider silk in terms of toughness and tensile strength. To reach the overall objective we will use the recently mapped spider genome, protein engineering and single cell RNA (ScRNA) sequencing to design novel silk proteins for fiber production. We will also study the relationship between protein secondary structure formation and fiber mechanical properties in order to decipher the ques that determine mechanical properties of the fiber. This knowledge will be important also for the basic understanding of how soluble proteins covert into b-sheet rich fibrils in, e.g., Alzheimer's disease. Finally, we will use microfluidic chips to engineer the next generation spinning device and 3D-printing techniques to make reproducible three-dimensional structures of spider silk.
Spider silk is Nature's high performance material that has the potential to revolutionize the materials industry. However, production and spinning of artificial spider silk fibers are challenging, and current methods to produce silk fibers include denaturing conditions which prevent the silk proteins from assembling into fibers in the same complex way as native silk proteins do. In order to fulfill the potential of spider silk we need to increase our understanding of the silk formation process and decipher how protein folding and interactions relate to mechanical properties of the resulting silk fiber. Recent insights into the physiology and molecular mechanisms of the spinning process has made it possible to develop a biomimetic artificial spider silk spinning device (see our publications Andersson et al. Nat Chem Biol. 2017; Otikovs et al. Angew Chemie Int Engl Ed. 2017). We are, for the first time, able to spin artificial silk fibers in which the proteins adopt correct secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures. The overall objective of ARTSILK is to build on these recent technical leaps and use state-of-the-art technologies to generate artificial silk fibers that are equal or superior to native spider silk in terms of toughness and tensile strength. To reach the overall objective we will use the recently mapped spider genome, protein engineering and single cell RNA (ScRNA) sequencing to design novel silk proteins for fiber production. We will also study the relationship between protein secondary structure formation and fiber mechanical properties in order to decipher the ques that determine mechanical properties of the fiber. This knowledge will be important also for the basic understanding of how soluble proteins covert into b-sheet rich fibrils in, e.g., Alzheimer's disease. Finally, we will use microfluidic chips to engineer the next generation spinning device and 3D-printing techniques to make reproducible three-dimensional structures of spider silk.
Project acronym ASTRODYN
Project Astrophysical Dynamos
Researcher (PI) Axel Brandenburg
Summary Magnetic fields in stars, planets, accretion discs, and galaxies are believed to be the result of a dynamo process converting kinetic energy into magnetic energy. This work focuses on the solar dynamo, but dynamos in other astrophysical systems will also be addressed. In particular, direct high-resolution three-dimensional simulations are used to understand particular aspects of the solar dynamo and ultimately to simulate the solar dynamo as a whole. Phenomenological approaches will be avoided in favor of obtaining rigorous results. A major problem is catastrophic quenching, i.e. the decline of dynamo effects in inverse proportion to the magnetic Reynolds number, which is huge. Tremendous advances have been made in the last few years since the cause of catastrophic quenching in dynamos has been understood in terms of magnetic helicity evolution. The numerical tools are now in place to allow for magnetic helicity fluxes via coronal mass ejections, thus alleviating catastrophic quenching. This work employs simulations in spherical shells, augmented by Cartesian simulations in special cases. The roles of the near-surface shear layer, the tachocline, as well as pumping in the bulk of the convection zone are to be clarified. The Pencil Code will be used for most applications. The code is third order in time and sixth order in space and is used for solving the hydromagnetic equations. It is a public domain code developed by roughly 20 scientists world wide and maintained under an a central versioning system at Nordita. Automatic nightly tests of currently 30 applications ensure the integrity of the code. It is used for a wide range of applications and may include the effects of radiation, self-gravity, dust, chemistry, variable ionization, cosmic rays, in addition to those of magnetohydrodynamics. The code with its infrastructure offers a good opportunity for individuals within a broad group of people to develop new tools that may automatically be useful to others.
Magnetic fields in stars, planets, accretion discs, and galaxies are believed to be the result of a dynamo process converting kinetic energy into magnetic energy. This work focuses on the solar dynamo, but dynamos in other astrophysical systems will also be addressed. In particular, direct high-resolution three-dimensional simulations are used to understand particular aspects of the solar dynamo and ultimately to simulate the solar dynamo as a whole. Phenomenological approaches will be avoided in favor of obtaining rigorous results. A major problem is catastrophic quenching, i.e. the decline of dynamo effects in inverse proportion to the magnetic Reynolds number, which is huge. Tremendous advances have been made in the last few years since the cause of catastrophic quenching in dynamos has been understood in terms of magnetic helicity evolution. The numerical tools are now in place to allow for magnetic helicity fluxes via coronal mass ejections, thus alleviating catastrophic quenching. This work employs simulations in spherical shells, augmented by Cartesian simulations in special cases. The roles of the near-surface shear layer, the tachocline, as well as pumping in the bulk of the convection zone are to be clarified. The Pencil Code will be used for most applications. The code is third order in time and sixth order in space and is used for solving the hydromagnetic equations. It is a public domain code developed by roughly 20 scientists world wide and maintained under an a central versioning system at Nordita. Automatic nightly tests of currently 30 applications ensure the integrity of the code. It is used for a wide range of applications and may include the effects of radiation, self-gravity, dust, chemistry, variable ionization, cosmic rays, in addition to those of magnetohydrodynamics. The code with its infrastructure offers a good opportunity for individuals within a broad group of people to develop new tools that may automatically be useful to others.
Project acronym BACCO
Project Bias and Clustering Calculations Optimised: Maximising discovery with galaxy surveys
Researcher (PI) Raúl Esteban ANGULO de la Fuente
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACION CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS DE FISICA DEL COSMOS DE ARAGON
Summary A new generation of galaxy surveys will soon start measuring the spatial distribution of millions of galaxies over a broad range of redshifts, offering an imminent opportunity to discover new physics. A detailed comparison of these measurements with theoretical models of galaxy clustering may reveal a new fundamental particle, a breakdown of General Relativity, or a hint on the nature of cosmic acceleration. Despite a large progress in the analytic treatment of structure formation in recent years, traditional clustering models still suffer from large uncertainties. This limits cosmological analyses to a very restricted range of scales and statistics, which will be one of the main obstacles to reach a comprehensive exploitation of future surveys. Here I propose to develop a novel simulation--based approach to predict galaxy clustering. Combining recent advances in computational cosmology, from cosmological N--body calculations to physically-motivated galaxy formation models, I will develop a unified framework to directly predict the position and velocity of individual dark matter structures and galaxies as function of cosmological and astrophysical parameters. In this formulation, galaxy clustering will be a prediction of a set of physical assumptions in a given cosmological setting. The new theoretical framework will be flexible, accurate and fast: it will provide predictions for any clustering statistic, down to scales 100 times smaller than in state-of-the-art perturbation--theory--based models, and in less than 1 minute of CPU time. These advances will enable major improvements in future cosmological constraints, which will significantly increase the overall power of future surveys maximising our potential to discover new physics.
A new generation of galaxy surveys will soon start measuring the spatial distribution of millions of galaxies over a broad range of redshifts, offering an imminent opportunity to discover new physics. A detailed comparison of these measurements with theoretical models of galaxy clustering may reveal a new fundamental particle, a breakdown of General Relativity, or a hint on the nature of cosmic acceleration. Despite a large progress in the analytic treatment of structure formation in recent years, traditional clustering models still suffer from large uncertainties. This limits cosmological analyses to a very restricted range of scales and statistics, which will be one of the main obstacles to reach a comprehensive exploitation of future surveys. Here I propose to develop a novel simulation--based approach to predict galaxy clustering. Combining recent advances in computational cosmology, from cosmological N--body calculations to physically-motivated galaxy formation models, I will develop a unified framework to directly predict the position and velocity of individual dark matter structures and galaxies as function of cosmological and astrophysical parameters. In this formulation, galaxy clustering will be a prediction of a set of physical assumptions in a given cosmological setting. The new theoretical framework will be flexible, accurate and fast: it will provide predictions for any clustering statistic, down to scales 100 times smaller than in state-of-the-art perturbation--theory--based models, and in less than 1 minute of CPU time. These advances will enable major improvements in future cosmological constraints, which will significantly increase the overall power of future surveys maximising our potential to discover new physics.
Project acronym BacRafts
Project Architecture of bacterial lipid rafts; inhibition of virulence and antibiotic resistance using raft-disassembling small molecules
Researcher (PI) Daniel López Serrano
Summary Membranes of eukaryotic cells organize signal transduction proteins into microdomains or lipid rafts whose integrity is essential for numerous cellular processes. Lipid rafts has been considered a fundamental step to define the cellular complexity of eukaryotes, assuming that bacteria do not require such a sophisticated organization of their signaling networks. However, I have discovered that bacteria organize many signaling pathways in membrane microdomains similar to the eukaryotic lipid rafts. Perturbation of bacterial lipid rafts leads to a potent and simultaneous impairment of all raft-harbored signaling pathways. Consequently, the disassembly of lipid rafts in pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus generates a simultaneous inhibition of numerous infection-related processes that can be further explored to control bacterial infections. This unexpected sophistication in membrane organization is unprecedented in bacteria and hence, this proposal will explore the molecular basis of the assembly of bacterial lipid rafts and their role in the infection-related processes. These questions will be addressed in three main goals: First, I will elucidate the molecular components and the mechanism of assembly of bacterial lipid rafts using S. aureus as model organism. Second, I will dissect the molecular basis that links the functionality of the infection-related processes to the integrity of bacterial lipid rafts. Third, my collection of anti-raft small molecules that are able to disrupt lipid rafts will be tested as antimicrobial agents to prevent hospital-acquired infections, abrogate pre-existing infections and develop bacteria-free materials that can be used in clinical settings. I will use a number of molecular approaches in combination with cutting-edge techniques in flow cytometry, cell-imaging and transcriptomics to clarify the architecture and functionality of lipid rafts and demonstrate the feasibility of targeting lipid a new strategy for anti-microbial therapy.
Membranes of eukaryotic cells organize signal transduction proteins into microdomains or lipid rafts whose integrity is essential for numerous cellular processes. Lipid rafts has been considered a fundamental step to define the cellular complexity of eukaryotes, assuming that bacteria do not require such a sophisticated organization of their signaling networks. However, I have discovered that bacteria organize many signaling pathways in membrane microdomains similar to the eukaryotic lipid rafts. Perturbation of bacterial lipid rafts leads to a potent and simultaneous impairment of all raft-harbored signaling pathways. Consequently, the disassembly of lipid rafts in pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus generates a simultaneous inhibition of numerous infection-related processes that can be further explored to control bacterial infections. This unexpected sophistication in membrane organization is unprecedented in bacteria and hence, this proposal will explore the molecular basis of the assembly of bacterial lipid rafts and their role in the infection-related processes. These questions will be addressed in three main goals: First, I will elucidate the molecular components and the mechanism of assembly of bacterial lipid rafts using S. aureus as model organism. Second, I will dissect the molecular basis that links the functionality of the infection-related processes to the integrity of bacterial lipid rafts. Third, my collection of anti-raft small molecules that are able to disrupt lipid rafts will be tested as antimicrobial agents to prevent hospital-acquired infections, abrogate pre-existing infections and develop bacteria-free materials that can be used in clinical settings. I will use a number of molecular approaches in combination with cutting-edge techniques in flow cytometry, cell-imaging and transcriptomics to clarify the architecture and functionality of lipid rafts and demonstrate the feasibility of targeting lipid a new strategy for anti-microbial therapy.
Project acronym BETTERSENSE
Project Nanodevice Engineering for a Better Chemical Gas Sensing Technology
Researcher (PI) Juan Daniel Prades Garcia
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA
Summary BetterSense aims to solve the two main problems in current gas sensor technologies: the high power consumption and the poor selectivity. For the former, we propose a radically new approach: to integrate the sensing components and the energy sources intimately, at the nanoscale, in order to achieve a new kind of sensor concept featuring zero power consumption. For the latter, we will mimic the biological receptors designing a kit of gas-specific molecular organic functionalizations to reach ultra-high gas selectivity figures, comparable to those of biological processes. Both cutting-edge concepts will be developed in parallel an integrated together to render a totally new gas sensing technology that surpasses the state-of-the-art. As a matter of fact, the project will enable, for the first time, the integration of gas detectors in energetically autonomous sensors networks. Additionally, BetterSense will provide an integral solution to the gas sensing challenge by producing a full set of gas-specific sensors over the same platform to ease their integration in multi-analyte systems. Moreover, the project approach will certainly open opportunities in adjacent fields in which power consumption, specificity and nano/micro integration are a concern, such as liquid chemical and biological sensing. In spite of the promising evidences that demonstrate the feasibility of this proposal, there are still many scientific and technological issues to solve, most of them in the edge of what is known and what is possible today in nano-fabrication and nano/micro integration. For this reason, BetterSense also aims to contribute to the global challenge of making nanodevices compatible with scalable, cost-effective, microelectronic technologies. For all this, addressing this challenging proposal in full requires a funding scheme compatible with a high-risk/high-gain vision to finance the full dedication of a highly motivated research team with multidisciplinary skill
BetterSense aims to solve the two main problems in current gas sensor technologies: the high power consumption and the poor selectivity. For the former, we propose a radically new approach: to integrate the sensing components and the energy sources intimately, at the nanoscale, in order to achieve a new kind of sensor concept featuring zero power consumption. For the latter, we will mimic the biological receptors designing a kit of gas-specific molecular organic functionalizations to reach ultra-high gas selectivity figures, comparable to those of biological processes. Both cutting-edge concepts will be developed in parallel an integrated together to render a totally new gas sensing technology that surpasses the state-of-the-art. As a matter of fact, the project will enable, for the first time, the integration of gas detectors in energetically autonomous sensors networks. Additionally, BetterSense will provide an integral solution to the gas sensing challenge by producing a full set of gas-specific sensors over the same platform to ease their integration in multi-analyte systems. Moreover, the project approach will certainly open opportunities in adjacent fields in which power consumption, specificity and nano/micro integration are a concern, such as liquid chemical and biological sensing. In spite of the promising evidences that demonstrate the feasibility of this proposal, there are still many scientific and technological issues to solve, most of them in the edge of what is known and what is possible today in nano-fabrication and nano/micro integration. For this reason, BetterSense also aims to contribute to the global challenge of making nanodevices compatible with scalable, cost-effective, microelectronic technologies. For all this, addressing this challenging proposal in full requires a funding scheme compatible with a high-risk/high-gain vision to finance the full dedication of a highly motivated research team with multidisciplinary skill
Project acronym BHIVE
Project Bio-derived HIgh Value polymers through novel Enzyme function
Researcher (PI) Emma Rusi Master
Summary Recent advances in systems-level study of cells and organisms have revealed the enormous potential to live more sustainably through better use of biological processes. Plants sustainably synthesize the most abundant and diverse materials on Earth. By applying recent advances in life science technology, we can better harness renewable plant resources and bioconversion processes, to develop environmentally and politically sustainable human enterprise and lifestyles. At the same time, the global market for high-value biochemicals and bioplastics from forest and agricultural sources is rapidly increasing, which presents new opportunities for forest and agricultural sectors. The overall aim of BHIVE is to illuminate uncharted regions of genome and metagenome sequences to discover entirely new protein families that can be used to sustainably synthesize novel, high-value biomaterials from renewable plant resources. The approach will include three parallel research thrusts: 1) strategic analysis of transcriptome and metagenome sequences to identify proteins with entirely unknown function relevant to biomass (lignocellulose) transformation, 2) mapping of uncharted regions within phylogenetic trees of poorly characterized enzyme families with recognized potential to modify the chemistry and biophysical properties of plant polysaccharides, and 3) the design and development of novel enzyme screens to directly address the increasing limitations of existing assays to uncover entirely new protein functions. BHIVE will be unique in its undivided focus on characterizing lignocellulose-active proteins encoded by the 30-40% of un-annotated sequence, or genomic "dark matter", typical of nearly all genome sequences. In this way, BHIVE tackles a key constraint to fully realizing the societal and environmental benefits of the genomics era.
Recent advances in systems-level study of cells and organisms have revealed the enormous potential to live more sustainably through better use of biological processes. Plants sustainably synthesize the most abundant and diverse materials on Earth. By applying recent advances in life science technology, we can better harness renewable plant resources and bioconversion processes, to develop environmentally and politically sustainable human enterprise and lifestyles. At the same time, the global market for high-value biochemicals and bioplastics from forest and agricultural sources is rapidly increasing, which presents new opportunities for forest and agricultural sectors. The overall aim of BHIVE is to illuminate uncharted regions of genome and metagenome sequences to discover entirely new protein families that can be used to sustainably synthesize novel, high-value biomaterials from renewable plant resources. The approach will include three parallel research thrusts: 1) strategic analysis of transcriptome and metagenome sequences to identify proteins with entirely unknown function relevant to biomass (lignocellulose) transformation, 2) mapping of uncharted regions within phylogenetic trees of poorly characterized enzyme families with recognized potential to modify the chemistry and biophysical properties of plant polysaccharides, and 3) the design and development of novel enzyme screens to directly address the increasing limitations of existing assays to uncover entirely new protein functions. BHIVE will be unique in its undivided focus on characterizing lignocellulose-active proteins encoded by the 30-40% of un-annotated sequence, or genomic "dark matter", typical of nearly all genome sequences. In this way, BHIVE tackles a key constraint to fully realizing the societal and environmental benefits of the genomics era.